In 2012, viral game The Dark Room brought the questionable joys and the definite frustrations of a generation of text-based adventure games to an audience of nostalgic and newly-discovering fans alike. The Dark Room, the Perth International Comedy Festival show, is a presentation of this game, played live with the menacing, floating head of John Robertson.
Making life interesting for both reviewers and enthusiastic spreaders of word of mouth publicity, no two performances of this show will unfold in the same way. The first half is likely to be a loudly chaotic comic feast of random rantings from Robertson, with the second half likely to be steered by individual audience members’ response to the game. But it is quite possible that this will change before the next show – so, expect the unexpected.
Robertson, though, will always be himself, front, centre, unavoidable and irrepressible. With his rapid fire delivery of assorted lines on random topics, from Stalin to demographic trends to religious iconography, the content is innocent of script but full of startling comic turns. His own references to Absurdist theatre struck a chord with my companion, who compared Robertson and The Dark Room to Harold Pinter – ‘what’s the point?’ Robertson would agree that there may be no particular point, but most of us had great fun, regardless.
Robertson’s special effects kit, turning him into a floating head, was a masterpiece of thriftiness and inspired use of found objects. By simultaneously turning himself into a character and giving him power over the game controls, it kept the focus on the presenter despite the huge game projection behind him, and also kept the audience wondering what was going to happen next – despite the game ticking down the minutes in the background, there was definitely no guarantee of a smooth ride with Robertson’s manic energy at the helm.
While prizes such as packets of mee goreng and New Kids on the Block CDs were flung to losing participants, delivered with homilies on the ways of dealing with disappointment, in another deviation from usual competitive entertainment practices, there was no promise of this being a regular part of the show. The real prize of the night was the way that Robertson gradually delivered a history lesson to explain his theory of cross-generational theories of childhood experience, but again, this appears to be a monologue theme subject to change.
Highly recommended both for novelty value and high paced entertainment at the tail end of a festival night, The Dark Room plays a bewildering yet welcome part at this year’s Perth International Comedy Festival.
Rating: Four stars
John Robertson – The Dark Room
The Astor Lounge, Mount Lawley
2-4, 9-11, 16-18 May
Perth International Comedy Festival 2013
www.perthcomedyfest.com.au
1 – 19 May
